Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa resigned from President Bush’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations on June 24 to protest the Bush administration’s anti-labor policies and actions.

Giving his reasons for his resignation, Hoffa stated:

“During the 2000 presidential election campaign, President Bush pledged to bring a new level of respect and bipartisan comity to the nation’s capital. Along with many other leaders in the labor community, I took him at his word and endeavored to forge a mutually respectful, productive relationship with both the president and his administration. As part of that effort, in April 2003 I agreed to serve on the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations.

“However, in recent months I have become increasingly uncomfortable with that association. The administration has clearly decided to wage a full-fledged attack on workers’ rights, social justice and economic common sense. While I had hoped that the Teamsters could maintain some semblance of a working relationship with this administration through my service on ACTPN, President Bush’s decision to sign the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has left me with no choice but to resign.”